Idiots!

Itsdacraic

What kind of fools do something like this??

Hundreds of mink have escaped from a farm in Ardara in County Donegal.
The mink were being farmed in the Meenavalley area.
It is thought someone cut wire securing the animals' cages and let them out.
Local farmers have been advised to be on the lookout for the mink.
Connie Anderson, the owner of the mink farm, described those repsonsible for letting the creatures escape as 'animal terrorists'.
The Secretary of the Sliabh League Angling Club, Noel Carr, said that it would unleash a "terrible" environmental problem on south-west Donegal.
He said the mink will need food, and salmon will be an easy target.

ISDW

Very, very misguided fools. I am totally opposed to fur farming, but would never consider setting mink free like this, the effect that they are going to have on the local wildlife population is going to be huge.

Surely any animal liberation people would know how dangerous this is, to the mink and the local animals. Definitely not liberation in my view.

homerhop

So called animal lovers who dont give a dam about the damage they will cause to the local wildlife.

Discodog

I used to know quite extreme people but I don't know of anyone who would be this ill informed. I too would support a total ban but not this kind of release.

homerhop

Whats the odds the ALF will lay claim to it?

Cherry Blossom

He has 30,000 mink on that site. I hear it's around 5,000 that were set loose with around 1,000 still unaccounted for. Not the first time this has happened on the this farm, nor the second either for that matter. Bout time he stepped up security tbh!! :mad:

Zapperzy

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

He has 30,000 mink on that site. I hear it's around 5,000 that were set loose with around 1,000 still unaccounted for. Not the first time this has happened on the this farm, nor the second either for that matter. Bout time he stepped up security tbh!! :mad:

More like about time they were banned completely. :mad: It's a horrible practise but I agree releasing them is completely the wrong way to go about it, the impact on the local wildlife will be severe, do these people not think properly. :mad: Do they honestly believe they are 'helping' the animals. :mad:

seamus

Doesn't necessarily have to be animal activists. It's equally likely that the owner of the farm has made a number of enemies (that's how life works in the Donegal wilds) one of whom has decided to cost him a great deal of money by letting his mink out.

**** him.

Itsdacraic

seamus wrote: »

Doesn't necessarily have to be animal activists. It's equally likely that the owner of the farm has made a number of enemies (that's how life works in the Donegal wilds) one of whom has decided to cost him a great deal of money by letting his mink out.

**** him.

:rolleyes:

"equally likely"

Lets not be trying to sully the issue here. It is far more likely that it was animal rights activists who have done similar loads of times in the past without a thought for the damage they would be inflicting upon local and migratory wildlife.

I in no way support fur farming and believe that nobody should be allowed import or breed a vicious non-native predator like the mink, but releasing them into the wild like this just lunacy. That said it wouldn't be the first time animal rights were willing to "sacrifice" wildlife to further their own "cause".

homerhop

seamus wrote: »

Doesn't necessarily have to be animal activists.

From the NARA website....

29th Sept. 2010

ALF RAID DONEGAL MINK FARM.

The ALF come under the terrorist umbrella in other countries, a really nice bunch of people.

Discodog

homerhop wrote: »

From the NARA website....

29th Sept. 2010

ALF RAID DONEGAL MINK FARM.

The ALF come under the terrorist umbrella in other countries, a really nice bunch of people.

Someone posted anonymously on an action site & NARA are just linking to it. It provides no proof whatsoever that the ALF were involved or that anyone released the Mink. It has no more accuracy or validation that if I claim that Mickey Mouse did it.

The 5000 Mink became 1000 & then the owner was interviewed on the radio. He said that he had no idea how many Mink were missing. When the incredulous interviewer kept pressing him he said it may be up to 500 & then mentioned 200 !.

We also have people in Donegal, many miles from the site, claiming that these mink are travelling huge distances yet they seem to be unaware that there are plenty of "other" mink.

boomerang

I have seen footage of mink farms in Ireland and it's not pretty- cages with wire floors that hurt their feet, barely room for the mink to turn around but not tall enough for the mink to stand - poor shelter from the elements and wire floors. The images of them pacing, circling and other stereotypical behaviour as a result of their confinement and barren environment is really distressing.

But whoever released these mink is an IDIOT.

homerhop

Discodog wrote: »

It has no more accuracy or validation that if I claim that Mickey Mouse did it.

I am sure you would love to.

convert

From the Irish Times

Investigation under way after 5,000 mink freed from farm

GENEVIEVE CARBERY and STEPHEN MAGUIRE

THE RELEASE of some 5,000 mink from a farm in Co Donegal is being investigated by gardaí while locals search for the hundreds of animals that remain on the loose.

The owners of the mink farm are blaming “animal liberation terrorists” after the animals were freed in what they claim was a deliberate attack.

A Garda spokesman said that a fence on the farm near Meenavalley was damaged by being cut or broken between 1am and 9am on Sunday.

Hundreds of animals are still on the loose from Anderson’s Mink Farm near Ardara and many more have been killed by motorists.

Connie Anderson, co-director of the farm, said it was “a pure act of vandalism or terrorism” and “pure sabotage”. Mr Anderson said those who carried out the attack had no thought for the consequences of their actions. “These people are animal liberation terrorists and had no thought for the mink or for the damage that will be done to other wildlife in the area.”

Some 32,000 mink were in the cages which were cut. “Cutting wire and opening gates was just wrong,” Mr Anderson said. “A lot of the animals stayed in their cages but a lot of others are roaming around the farm. Many did get out the gates and many of those will perish.”

Local gun clubs have set dozens of traps and last night continued to catch many of the escaped mink.

James Morrin of Killybeggs Gun Club said that some 100 mink have been caught alive in traps and local club members expect to round up the remaining animals in the next few days.

Noel Carr, secretary of the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea-Trout Anglers, said the freed mink could damage local salmon stocks. “The salmon spawning beds are fair game to mink. I am speaking as an angler, but this release will also have a huge effect on tourism in the area.”

He was also concerned at the delay in hearing about the incident and the lack of a plan to deal with problem.

“Mink travel very fast and I am horrified that nobody was informed. We have lost two or three days of action because we were not told. It confirms our worst fears that there is no action plan for capture or for public awareness on how to deal with such invasive animals,” he said.

Some people suspected it was “young fellows from the dances”, Mr Carr added. “I suspect that it may just be foolish vandals.”

Animal rights organisations contacted by The Irish Times said that they had not heard about the incident and did not know if animal rights activists were involved.

“We have nothing do with it. However, I commend whoever risked their freedom to do this as these animals have a horrendous life,” said Bernie Wright of the Alliance for Animal Rights.

She said the incident may have been “strategically timed” before animals were killed in the next few months.

While I don't necessarily agree with fur farms like that described above, to release the mink into the wild like that is very misguided. Not only are they going to cause problems for local wildlife, but the suffering that they'll endure by being trapped, shot, poisoned, or killed by cars, dogs and foxes isn't exactly improving their 'horrendous life'.

Discodog

homerhop wrote: »

I am sure you would love to.

Why would I want to blame Mickey - anyway bit risky for a mouse to release Mink.

thebishop

http://www.ciwf.ie/campaigns/campaign_fur.html

Graces7

seamus wrote: »

Doesn't necessarily have to be animal activists. It's equally likely that the owner of the farm has made a number of enemies (that's how life works in the Donegal wilds) one of whom has decided to cost him a great deal of money by letting his mink out.

**** him.

Yep; wild territory there.. Glad we moved..;)

I read though somewhere that fur faming HAD been banned? It is iniquitous.

Oh; THAT is what that building complex near Ardara is? Wondered when we passed it way back....